“Chan pa he chan ho!”

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Leona

I was just musing over how incredibly annoying ads are these days… and then Heineken’s ‘The Date’ concept burst onto the scene. (Well, OK… ‘my awareness’. It’s been on ‘the scene’ for a good while already).

It’s AWESOME.

It takes some kind of bollywood-meets-bond, meets circus, meets date-movie memeplex and manages to create something immersive and engaging from it all. The joins between the borrowed ideas are seamless, and the cross-cultural slant is just a breath of fresh air. The two characters at the center of the action move the world’s tiniest story forward, from one moment to the next, and the miniature plot unfolds within the tight temporal constraints yet nothing feels squeezed at all (in fact, the shorter edits of the ad work even better). So we accept this gorgeous epic, compactified as it is in every possible dimension and yet remaining as engaging as any well-made marathon flick… Continue reading →

Meet the Pike Piper

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Leona

Somewhere in Pike Place Market, in downtown Seattle, there is a lady who sells handmade ceramic ocarinas. She’s The Pike Piper, and apparently it’s some close friends of hers who make the actual things, and she (the musician) sells them in the market by trilling melodiously at passer-bys that look vaguely interested in her wares.

I bought a teensy one… debating wearing it around my neck and using it as one of these warning devices women are supposed to carry about with them. It has gone into my treasure trove of musical finds from random places. Though, I oughta learn the proper fingering.

Creative nieces – part 2

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Leona

I got my youngest niece Demelza a fashion design kit thing with bits of patterned paper and shapes you can cut out to make mini outfits (with mini hangers to hang them out on!).

I was so taken by the mini hangers I immediately thought it would be great to hang the paper clothes up in some kind of toy wardrobe. (yes, the barbie genes were in overdrive. you don’t even think you have them, and then WHAM). Anyhoo. My sis is the one with the craft / construction genes and, being a priceless sort of mum she saved one of the gift boxes and actually built a wee wardrobe for her kiddie – check it out after the jump. Continue reading →

Creative nieces – part 1

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Leona

So my niece Jasmine – who is about 13 (I think? I literally am the world’s worst aunt… I’ve been given this info like a 100 times now)… anyhow Jas got her botany on one day and painted this:

I’m not an art critic, but seriously… there’s some serious composition skills here. Not to mention colour choices. I love the abstract, carefree feel of the whole thing.

Then there’s this:

… a delicate, careful, considered penciling in of some some plant or other… I don’t even know what. Love the line quality separating the lighter part from the darker portions.

Bathroom mirror, .7 mechanical pencil.

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Leona

Hey, it’s halloween. Have always looked a bit deranged without my glasses. Couldn’t get the f*#$#$%^ eyes right! Way too big. Mind you, did this in the time it took to heat an apple pie, so I’m pleased with the results from that perspective…

Bōkaroido!

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Leona

Check this out…
So apparently the Japanese have invented some kind of singing synthesizer. You have to program it, but then most digital music-makers have precisely that kind of patience, as evidenced here:

(I’m) Lovin’ You Madly by kotaro

Pretty good, no? The synthesizer is called ‘Vocaloid‘. I guess it’s great for when you can’t afford to hire a singer, or… you know, if you fall out with the one you’ve already got. Or something…

And so ends my first post on audio-related, soundcloudy finds. Hope to post more.

Doodle: ‘i got the feelin’

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Leona

Was at work one day and had James Brown and the JBs on the brain. So I took out me ole’ notebook. It’s not good at all, typographically speaking. But, kinda fun.

Stole a drawing from ‘American Artist’ mag

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Leona

The 2011 special edition of American Artist had a pretty neat drawing at the bottom of pg 33 – a drawing by one Romolo Costa, whom I admit to not knowing a thing about. Here’s my simulacrum – and no, I’ve personally never seen anyone who looks like this, methinks Romolo was exaggerating, and I’ve followed suit… cos what do I know?

This issue is pretty packed with various tips but if you don’t want to pay for it, you can get the content for free at this link: http://scribd.com/doc/54062925/Freemium-DrawBasics – I only hope the magazine knows their content has been thrown up there. Hmm…

Warrior night out

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Leona

OK, so this is a horrible straying from the boundaries of fashion design/illustration: I admit to wanting to do a bit of character design.

So meet Sara “Njuba” Liu, a peacekeeper from the Sudanchina – DRC conflict. She posed for this photo a year after her tour of duty (2031 – 2040) upon her arrival at the Ambassador’s Charity Ball. The by-now infamous Neobantu Spear XC1C at her side was actually auctioned at the ball, raising 175,000 VDinars for SELFAID. She now lives in Ghana with a pet boa and, of all things, a cheshire cat. Amazingly, the cat lives…

…none of which made it onto the artboard I handed in (phew. sometimes y’oughta keep silly thoughts to yerself). Have fun deconstructing the afro-asiatics. More pics after the jump… Continue reading →

for some reason this just cracked me up…

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Leona

…I’m hoping you can’t make this shit up, as the saying goes.

The part where I finally broke down and cried with laughter was the bit about the rat. omg… stitches!